A rental car ended up stranded on the sand of a Tenerife beach this week, drawing crowds of stunned beachgoers and going viral on Spanish social media. The car was empty when emergency services arrived. The question of how it had got onto the sand in the first place is one local officials say they think they have an answer to.
The vehicle showed up on Playa Roquete, a smaller beach on the northeast coast of Tenerife in the town of Punta del Hidalgo. Beachgoers were perplexed by the situation, and understandably so. Photos and videos of the car on the sand spread quickly via WhatsApp and other platforms as those watching it happen wondered how it would end up getting away once it got stuck in the sand.
Spanish emergency services found no one on the scene, so there were no injuries reported. The car was actually empty when it was found. Locals thought that someone might be trapped inside when they first saw the car. Eventually, firefighters removed the car and secured it away from the sand.
The most believable explanation for how the car got there (aside from someone driving it there intentionally) is a small ramp built near the beach. Authorities have suggested that the rental car could have slid down the ramp accidentally before getting stuck in the sand. Either way, it needed a fair amount of assistance to finally be removed, whether it was a blunder or not.
How and Where the Car Appeared
Playa Roquete is in Punta del Hidalgo, a small fishing village on the northeast coast of Tenerife. Tenerife is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. Playa Roquete is about 120 meters in length, known for its rough sea and popular fishing spots. Obviously, it’s also a popular place for beachgoers to hang out.
People at the beach were stunned when they expected a fun day of swimming. When they headed out to the sand, they spotted a car stranded on the sand. It had visitors wondering: how did it get there? Photos and videos of the unusual sight quickly went viral on social media. Emergency services responded and confirmed that the vehicle was empty.
Originally, beachgoers had believed that there was someone trapped inside, but they seemed to have escaped.
How Officials Say It Got There
Emergency services believe the car slid down a nearby ramp before being stuck on the beach. Firefighters arrived at the scene and worked to secure the vehicle before arranging for it to be removed. The agency didn’t publicly identify the renter, the rental company, or what brought the car to the top of the ramp to begin with.
The stranded rental car circulated around social media platforms across Spain, with visitors alike sharing the unusual sight. It wasn’t anything the folks splashing around on the beach expected to see that day. But it also serves as a warning: watch where you’re driving or you could end up stranded on a beach.